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Too Few Girls Getting HPV Vaccine: CDC

Too Few Girls Getting HPV Vaccine: CDC

07/25/13

THURSDAY, July 25 (HealthDay News) -- Efforts to vaccinate girls
against cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV) have stalled,
officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
announced Thursday.

HPV vaccination rates for adolescent girls remained about the
same between 2011 and 2012, hovering around 53 percent for girls
who received at least one dose of vaccine, according to survey
results published in the July 26 issue of the CDC's
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Only one-third of all girls have received the full three-dose
series of shots, a rate that actually declined slightly between
2011 and 2012.

The news is particularly discouraging given that last month the
CDC released findings that showed the HPV vaccine is more effective
than previously thought, with vaccinations resulting in a
bigger-than-expected drop in the virus' prevalence, Frieden
said.

The HPV vaccines Cervarix and Gardasil guard against strains of
the virus that are responsible for 70 percent of all cases of
cervical cancer. Vaccination is recommended at age 11 or 12
years.

The CDC estimates that an additional 4,400 women will be
diagnosed with cervical cancer and 1,400 cervical cancer deaths
will occur for every year that three-dose coverage remains at 33
percent instead of the goal of 80 percent coverage.

Approximately 79 million Americans are currently infected with
HPV, and another 14 million become newly infected each year,
according to the CDC. HPV is so common that nearly all sexually
active men and women will get at least one type of HPV at some
point in their lives.

The issue doesn't lie with availability of the vaccine, the CDC
report noted. Parents and doctors simply are missing opportunities
to have girls vaccinated against HPV.

About 84 percent of 11-year-old girls have had a doctor's visit
where they received another vaccination but not the HPV vaccine,
the annual vaccination survey found. If the HPV vaccine had been
administered at the same time, today's coverage rate could have
exceeded 92 percent, officials noted.

"The girls are in the doctor's office, they're getting another vaccination, but they aren't getting the second or third dose of HPV vaccine," Frieden said. "Doctors need to recommend this vaccine just as they do others, and ensure that it's given at every opportunity."

One of every four parents told the CDC they do not intend to
have their daughters vaccinated against HPV. When asked why, the
parents gave a variety of responses:

19 percent said the vaccine isn't needed.

14 percent said their doctor had not recommended the vaccine to
them.

13 percent said they had safety concerns about the
vaccine.

13 percent said they didn't know about either the vaccine or
the disease.

10 percent said their daughter doesn't need the vaccine because
she isn't sexually active.

While HPV is a sexually transmitted virus, public health
officials say it is important to have girls and boys vaccinated
while they are young so their immune response will be at its peak
when they do become sexually active.

In the early days of HPV vaccination parents had some
reservations about giving the vaccine to children who aren't
sexually active, but American Academy of Pediatrics president Dr.
Thomas McInerny said those concerns are ebbing.

"Parents are beginning to understand this is an anti-cancer vaccine, that it's important to give it at this age, and that it's not about sexuality," McInerny said.

Frieden agreed, noting that multiple studies have found that
kids vaccinated against HPV are no more promiscuous than kids who
have gone without the vaccine.

"HPV vaccine does not open the door to sex," Frieden said. "HPV vaccine closes the door to cancer."

Most health plans now cover HPV vaccination, and in the wake of
the Affordable Care Act many provide the vaccine without any co-pay
or deductible.

"We don't think cost is a barrier, and it's not showing up as a main concern in our survey," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. "That's one of the responses they may offer, but we're not seeing it."

The HPV vaccine has a strong track record of safety, the CDC
said.

About 56 million doses of Gardasil, the more popular HPV
vaccine, were distributed in the United States from June 2006
through March 2013, according to the report. Those doses have
resulted in just 21,194 reports of adverse reactions to the
vaccine, with 92 percent classified as nonserious side effects.
Reports of adverse reactions have steadily declined since 2009.

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.